Electric locomotor



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

I rllll' J. R. FINNEY.

ELECTRIC LoooMoToR.

(No Model.)

N. PETERS. Phurlnhographer, wamingmn. D. C.

(Nd Model.) s sheetssheen 2. J. R. FINNEY. ELECTRIC LOCOMOTOR.

110.415,165. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

T ES

77M@ MMM N. PErERS Phamumagnplmr, washington. n C.

(No Model.) y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. R. FINNBY.

ELECTRIC LOGOMOTOR. No. 415,165. Patented Nov. l2, 1889.

N. EEYERS. mummy-.phen wmdnglon, D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH R. FINNEY, OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO THE OVERHEAD CONDUCTOR ELECTRIC RAILVAY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC LOCOMOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,165, dated November 12, 1889. Application filed August 17, 1886. Serial No. 211,162. (No model.)

To all 1171/0722, it may concern: mechanism, as otherwise the gear-wheels cam Be it known that I, JOSEPH R. FINNEY, of not be brought into engagement, or, if they National City, in the county of San Diego and are brought into contact, the teeth are liable State of California, have invented a new and to be stripped and the connections destroyed.

5 useful Improvement in Electric Locomotors; This is especially true in case of a heavy 55 and I do hereby declare the following to be a structure, such as a railway-car, which unfull, clear, and exact description thereof, refder the circumstances of use accumulates erence being had to the accompanying draw great momentum. The use of a reversible ings, forming a part of this specification. friction-gear upon such a vehicle is free from 1o In' operating electric locomotives I have this objection, and, further, it permits of 6o foundt-hat if it isattempted to reversethe movarying the speed of the vehicle without tor when the car is under headway there is changing the speed of the motor, which cangreat danger of burning` out the insulation of not be accomplished by the use of toothed the wire. In addition to this, there must be gear-wheels.

15 given to the conimutator-brushes a certain Figure 1 is a side elevation of the electro- 65 denite lead, the direction of which is demotor and of the truss which sustains it on pendent upon the direction of rotation of the the car-axles. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the armature; otherwise the sparking at the same, showing' also the power-connections bebrushes will injure or destroy the commutatween the motor-shaft and the car-axle. Fig.

zo tor. IVhenever, therefore, the direction of 3 is an end elevation of the motor and power- 7o rotation is changed, the brushes mustbe adconnections. Fig. 4is a View of the reversing j Listed accordingly. This is a troublesome and brakingwheels. Fig. is an edge view of and difficult thing to do upon an electric loone of the compound gear andfriction wheels. comotor, and to overcome both these diffi- Figs. G and 7 show the means of securing elec- 2 5 culties I use a reversible friction-gear to comtrical connection between the rails of the track. 7 5 municate the power of the electric motor to Fig. S is a side elevation of a car and of the the supporting traction or driving wheels of reversing and braking apparatus. Fig. 9 is a the car. By means of this friction-gear the diagram showing the main circuit. car may be driven either forward or back- Like letters of reference indicate like parts 3o ward, while the motor itself revolves conin each. 8o tinuously at a practically uniform speed in The truss 1 is formed of angle-iron bars 2,

one direction, except when a heavy load is united by suitable braces 3 and plates 4. thrown upon the motor the speed of the mo- Thus I secure in the truss the requisite tor will necessarily be reduced. This, howlightness and strength. The truss is mount- 3 5 ever, results in an increase of current liow in ed on the axles 5 6 by means of suitable bear- 85 the motor, causing it to exert a corresponding-boxes 7 8. The electromotor 9, which is ing increase of power. The friction-gear of any desired and suitable construction, is renders it possible to throw the motor into or secured on the truss so as to bring its shaft 10 out of connection with the traction-wheels on a level with the axle 6. The truss is made 4o while the former is being driven at any speed. angling, so as to form a platform below the 9o It also enables the speed of the car to be gradaxle 6 for the motor, while its front end rests uated. The friction gear, also, may be used as on top of the axle 5. The motor-shaft 10 is a brake apparatus to check or stop the car. provided with a commutator 11 at one end I am aware that it has been proposed to and with a ily-wheel 12 at the other end.

45 employ electric motors with reversing toothed Outside of the [1y-Wheel is a small gear-whee1 95 gears for driving mechanism in either direc- 13, which is secured rigidly to the shaft 10. tion without reversing the direction of mo- Pivoted on the shaft 10 is a boxing or frame tion of the armature of the motor. "When- 14, on which are journaled two wheels 15 and ever it is desired to reverse with such a con- 16. (See Fig. 4.) Each of these wheels is 5o struction, it is necessary first to stop the composed of two disks 17 and 18, the larger xoo Vthe wheel 16.

of which is a gear-wheel and the smaller a friction-wheel. (See Fig. 5.) The gear-wheel 13 meshes into the geared part 17 on the wheel 15, so that the wheel 13 drives the wheel 15 and the wheel 15 is in gear with and drives The wheels 13 and 16 do not gear with each other. Loosely mounted on the axle 6 opposite to the friction-wheels 18 is a large friction-wheel 19, which is so placed that the friction-wheels 18 may be brought into driving-contact therewith, as hereinafter described, and as shown in Fig. 4. Secured to the friction-wheel 19 by a suitable sleeve 20 is a pinion 21, also loosely mounted on the axle 6. Y

Bolted to the under side of the truss 1 is a bar 22, the outer end of which sustains the upright standards or supports 23 of a short shaft 24, mounted loosely upon which is a large gear-wheel 25 and a pinion 26, which are secured together by a sleeve 27. The pinion 21 upon the axle 6 is in gear with the gear-wheel 25, and the pinion 26 on the shaft 24 is in gear with a large gear-wheel 28, mounted rigidly on the axle 6. The strap 29 extends from the shaft 24 to the axle 6, and prevents the shaft from being forced back from the axle when the power is applied to the gearing, and thus obvia-tes danger of slack and disconnection of the wheels. i

The frame 14 is pivoted by sleeves 30 on the shaft 10, and is capable of a radial movement thereon to throw the wheels 15 and 16 alternately into and out of contact with the friction-wheel 19. This movement is obtained by means of a rod 31, extending.

to the platforms on the opposite ends of the car, where it is connected to suitable levers 32, (see Fig. 8,) which are provided with pawls 33, operating in connection with the racks 34, These racks have a sufficient number of notches to permit the levers 32 to be fastened in such a position as. will bring either of the wheels 15 or 16 into contact with the wheel 19, or an intermediate position, which will hold them out of contact therewith. The wheel 13 being in gear wit-h the wheel 15 and the wheel 15 in gear with the wheel 16, both 15 and 16 are driven continuously in one direction by the wheel 13that is to say, the wheel 13 being turned continuously in the direction of arrow a, causes the wheels 15 and 16 t0 be turned in the direction of arrows b c. Then when the wheel 16 is in contact with the wheel 19, as shown in Fig. 4, the wheel 19 is caused to turn in the direction of arrow d, and when the wheel 16 is thrown out of contact with the wheel 19 and the wheel 15 into contact therewith the wheel 19 will be caused to turn in the direction yof arrow e. When the wheel 15 is in contact with the wheel 19, the wheel 16 revolves idly. The advantage of this arrangement is that the motor-shaft need not be reversed and the necessity of a pole-changer is obviated. This is a material point, for the reason that a pole-changer is a comparatively delicate device and liable to get out of order, and hence is not fitted for the rough usage of a railway. Further, the heating of thev motorand the violent strain upon the motorshaft caused bythe reversing of the same is entirely obviated.

In place of a pole-changer, withits disad vantages, I have a lnechanical device simple in its construction, certain in its action, and not liable to be damaged or put out of order by the rough usage of a railway. This device not only effects an almost instantaneous reversal of motion of the car-wheels, but affords a perfect brake, wherewith t-he car may be stopped with great ease. Little or no power is necessary to be exerted by the driver in operating the reversing and braking apparatus, because it is only necessary to throw the wh eels 15 and 16 in contact with the wheel 19 to cause them to act efficiently, the draft of the wheels being sufficient to hold them in contact except in case of sudden and unusual jar, as when the car goes over a stone. The power of Vthe motor-shaft, being applied to the wheel 19 in the manner described, is communicated to the car-axle through the pinion `21, to wheel 25, to pinion 26, to wheel 28, to the car-axle. This arrangement of gearing enables me to reduce the high speed of the 1notor-shaft 10 to the rate desired to be given to the car, and by the arrangement I have shown I am enabled to obtain this reduction of the speed, gaining power correspondingly,within the limited space between the motor-shaft 10 and the axle 6.

In Fig. 9 I show a general View of the main circuit. Here B indicates the battery or machine which is the source of power; p, the main wire, which is extended out on poles or other suitable support along the line of the railway-track, 'and o?, the ground-wire. On the conductor 19 is a traveling contact 35, of any suitable construction, from which the branch wire 36 extends to the car C, where it is connected to a spring-drum or other suitable adjusting device 37. The purpose of the drinn is to allow for variations of distance between the car C and the main conductor p. From the axis of the drum a wire 38 extends to one of the binding-posts 39 of the motor.

In the particular form of motor shown in the drawings the circuit is as follows: Two wires 40 and 41 extend from the bindingpost, one to the coils of the field-magnet and the other to one of the brushes 42 of the machine. The field-magnets 42 and 43 are electrically connected by a wire 45. A portion of the current passes over the wire 40 to magnet 42,thence by wire 45 to magnet 43,thence by wire 46 to the other binding-post 47. The

balance of the current passes by wire 41 to the brush 42, thence to the commutator, thence through the armature-coils, and out by brush 49 and wire 48 to the binding-post 47, which is electrically connected with the IOO I'Io

aXle 6 by means of the wire 50. The current then passes through the axle G and wheel 51 to the ground.

In order to insure a more perfect groundconnection, the rails 52, Figs. 6 and 7, are connected by a copper plate 53, placed under their adjoining ends and secured by railspikes 54, passing through slots 55 into the stringers G. The plates 53 are slotted at 55 for the purpose of allowing for the expansion and contraction of the rails, which expansion and contraction, being always occurring, has a tendency to keep the plates bright and clear at their points of contact with the rails, and thus prevent oxidation or dirt from destroying the connection between the plates and the rails.

The ordinary iron fish-bars, shoes, and other devices used for connecting the ends of the rails will not answer for electrical connection, because the surface oxidizes and breaks the circuit. The same is also true where wires are used extending from the sides of the rails, because the surface of the iron rail which is in contact with the wire is liable to become oxidized and either totally or partially destroy the connection.

I have spoken of using three notches in the racks. Theymay, however, be used with intermediate notches, so as to apply the power partially. The use of the friction-faces enables the wheels to be thrown instantly into contact without danger, such as would occur with gear-wl1eels,where the teeth would be liaable to be stripped. It also permits the wheels to slip, and ,so come gradually to the speed. The friction-disk 18 of the wheels 15 and 16 is of less diameter than the geared disk 17, to prevent the tongues of the friction-disks of the two wheels from binding or turning on each other. If desired, the wheel 13 may be a friction-wheel instead of a gear-wheel, and the parts 17 of the wheels l5 and 16 provided with friction instead of geared faces.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the running-gear of a railway-car, of an electric driving-motor carried upon the car and a reversing frictiongear interposed between the motor-shaft and the wheels of the car, whereby the latter may be driven in either direction without reversing the direction of rotation of the motorshaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of May, A. D. 1886.

JOSEPH R. FINNEY. Witnesses:

CHAs. A. STARK, JOHN G. STARK. 

